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Plans for a three-home subdivision in a cul-de-sac off Lake Arbor Way in Mitchellville have some community members concerned about safety and the community's appearance.
Diane Savoy, president of the Lake Arbor Foundation in Mitchellville, said at a Lake Arbor Civic Association meeting Oct. 1 she is concerned about additional traffic because of the nearby Lake Arbor Community Center, Lake Arbor Elementary and Ernest Everett Just Middle School.
Most houses in the community have two to three cars, Savoy said. She said she is also concerned about limited parking in the cul-de-sac.
Houses will have two-car garages, each driveway can hold two to three cars and there will be six parking spaces in the cul-de-sac, said William Shipp, who is the project's attorney and an attorney at law at O'Malley, Miles, Nylen and Gilmore in Calverton.
Greg Loftin, chairman of the safety commission for the Lake Arbor Civic Association, is concerned about access to and from the cul-de-sac.
"It's an impractical configuration to egress and ingress," he said. "You'd have to make a U-turn."
Because there are only three lots, a traffic study was not required, Shipp said.
No timeline has been set for the project, said Melanie Graf, vice president of project developer Palisades Development LLC in Falls Church, Va. Marketing to a potential builder could begin in the spring, Shipp said.
Palisades Development is working through the preliminary plan, and there is not yet an estimate for the cost of the project, Graf said. The cul-de-sac was added into the plan two weeks ago.
Graf and Shipp attended the meeting to discuss the subdivision and present an artist's rendering.
The subdivision, which has not yet been built, would have only three houses, with each lot a minimum of 9,500 square feet, or about 22 acres, Shipp said. Housing plans will conform to the houses in the area, which have two-car garages and at least three bedrooms.
The three houses will be comparable in price to surrounding houses in the Lake Arbor community, but it is too early to know what the houses will sell for, Shipp said. The builder will determine the three houses' square footage and price the houses, Graf said.
Shipp and Graf said they will talk with the community before construction begins to establish design guidelines, such as what percentage of the front faÁade of a house will be brick to make the houses compatible with the community.
Another development, the Woodmore Towne Centre in Glenarden, has been under construction near the Lake Arbor community since June.
Stores committed to coming are Best Buy, Costco and Wegmans, said Adrienne Francis, a community relations consultant for the retail and office space developer, Petrie Ross Ventures based in Annapolis.
Wegmans will be the first to open in spring 2010, one year behind its original opening date, Francis said. Costco and Best Buy will open soon after.
Woodmore Town Centre will hold 1 million square feet of office space and 800,000 square feet of retail space, Francis said. There will also be a 13-acre multiplex sports field, Hospice of the Chesapeake and two hotels.
K. Hovnanian Homes is developing residential space, planned to include more than 1,000 townhomes and luxury apartments.
Association members agreed they're excited for the center's opening.
"I can't wait," Elaine Wright said.
E-mail Liz Skalski at
eskalski@gazette.net.
